Nathan Lane's Full Bio

Nathan Lane was most recently seen in A24’s Dicks: The Musical, alongside Megan Mullally, Bowen Yang and Megan Thee Stallion and in Ari Aster’s Beau Is Afraid, alongside Joaquin Phoenix and Amy Ryan, as well as the second season of Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building as Teddy Dimas, alongside Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez. This role earned him a Primetime Emmy Award in the category of “Guest Actor in A Comedy Series.” He recently received a second Emmy nomination for this role.

On stage, he recently starred in a new play called Pictures From Home on Broadway, written by Sharr White, about the artistic and emotional relationship between a photographer and his aging parents, alongside Danny Burstein and Zoë Wanamaker. Additionally, he was recently seen in the Broadway production of Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus, a comedy by Taylor Mac directed by George C. Wolfe. He also appeared as Roy Cohn in the Broadway revival of Angels in America (Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards), as well as in The National Theater production in London.

Broadway credits include: The Front Page (Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations); It’s Only a Play; The Nance (Tony and Drama Desk nominations, Outer Critics Circle Award and the Drama-League Distinguished Performance Award); The Addams Family (Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Nominations, Drama-League Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater Award), Waiting For Godot (Outer Critics Circle nomination); November; Butley; The Odd Couple; The Frogs; The Producers (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Olivier Awards); The Man Who Came to Dinner; A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards); Love! Valour! Compassion! (Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards); Laughter on the 23rd Floor; Guys and Dolls (Tony nomination, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards); On Borrowed Time; Some Americans Abroad; Wind in the Willows; Merlin; Present Laughter (Drama Desk nomination); Hickey in The Iceman Cometh at the Goodman Theater in 2012 and Bam in 2015 (Monte Cristo Award from The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center).

Off-Broadway (1992 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence of Performance): includes The Common Pursuit; The Film Society; The Lisbon Traviata (Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel Awards, Outer Critics Circle nomination); Lips Together, Teeth Apart; Love! Valour! Compassion! (Obie Award); Bad Habits; Dedication, or the Stuff of Dreams (Drama Desk nomination); Mizlansky/Zilinsky or Schmucks; Trumbo; Measure for Measure (St. Clair Bayfield Award); A Midsummer Night’s Dream; The Merry Wives of Windsor; She Stoops to Conquer; In a Pig’s Valise; Love; White Rabbit, Red Rabbit: And Do Re Mi at Encores. 

On TV, he was recently seen in Julian Fellowes’ period drama The Gilded Age for HBO as Ward McAllister and appears in the show’s second season. Additional credits include Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, American Crime Story: The People vs. OJ Simpson as F. Lee Bailey, and recurring roles on Modern Family and The Good Wife.

Lane has received one Primetime Emmy Award, eight Primetime Emmy nominations, two Daytime Emmy Awards and a People’s Choice Award.

He has appeared in more than 35 films including The Birdcage (Golden Globe nomination, Screen Actors Guild and American Comedy Awards); Ironweed; Frankie and Johnny; Mousehunt; Jeffrey; The Lion King; Stuart Little; Nicholas Nickleby (National Board Of Review Ensemble Award); The Producers (Golden Globe nomination); Swing Vote; Mirror, Mirror; Carrie Pilby; and No Pay, Nudity. He will also voice the character, The Oracle of the Sun in the upcoming musical fantasy film Spellbound for Apple TV+.

In 2006, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and in 2008, he was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.